UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Dukes dropped a 19-8 decision at the hands of 12th-ranked Penn State on Wednesday evening at Panzer Stadium. Duquesne moves to 0-2 on the year while the Nittany Lions improve to 2-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Penn State jumped out to a 6-0 lead before the Dukes scored three of the next four goals to shrink the Nittany Lions' lead to 7-3. PSU responded with four straight goals before gaining a 13-5 edge into halftime.

- The Nittany Lions, who have made two consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances, opened the second stanza with three unanswered scores to build their lead to 16-5.

- Duquesne and Penn State played an even 3-3 game the rest of the way with sophomore midfielder Kirsten Barnes (Brielle, N.J./Manasquan) registering an assist and her third goal of the contest down the stretch for the Dukes.

KEY STATS
- Barnes notched her first career hat trick to go with an assist in the game. Fellow sophomore midfielder Maddie Hart (Sykesville, Md./Century) added a pair of goals for Duquesne.

- Junior attacker Haley Matthai (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) had a goal while dishing out two assists.

- Sophomore goalie Maddy Curtis (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) made five saves and allowed just two goals in the final 22 minutes of action.

- The Dukes finished with a 14-13 edge in ground balls.

NEXT UP
The Dukes return home to host Niagara in a non-conference tilt this Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at Arthur J. Rooney Field.